FRANCISCAN UNIVERSITY NEWS

Richard Allen on U.S. Presidents and Shaping Public Policy

Allen served in the National Security Council for Nixon and advised other subsequent Presidents.

May 03, 2012

STEUBENVILLE,
OHIO— "The difference between politics and policy is critically
important," said the Honorable Richard V. Allen, former advisor for four
United States presidents, leading foreign policy analyst, and final
speaker for Franciscan University of Steubenville's Spring 2012
Distinguished Speakers Series.

"Everybody's interested in
politics," he said. "Whatever it is, making a contribution to preserve
what we believe that we have today, or have inherited from our
forefathers, is extremely important. That kind of contribution allows
one to go to crises with a certain amount of aplomb and confidence."

Allen
spoke to a sizeable audience on Tuesday, April 17, in the Tony and Nina
Gentile Gallery. His topic, "Ending the Cold War (If, Indeed, It Has
Ended)," addressed the current issues of public policy and partisanship,
but also took the audience on a walk through days gone by.

"There
isn't any real way to discuss threats with you today without 'boring'
you with what you might think is just a dry history lesson," said Allen,
former chief coordinator of Foreign Policy and principal of the
National Security Council staff in the Nixon administration. "But having
lived through that period, I can tell you it's not very dry."

Allen said that his awakening to foreign events came to him when he was five years old, and World War II broke out.

"It was December 7, 1941, an extraordinary event which is indelible in
my mind," he said. "I remember exactly where I was standing in the
living room in our house in Merchantville, New Jersey, when war was
declared."

Allen's father, who had worked in Washington, knew
someone who knew the secretary of President Franklin D. Roosevelt, and
Allen recalled visiting the White House as a small child. Allen was 9
years old; his brother, who came with him, was 13.

"The valet—a
kindly old gentleman, he was dressed in a tuxedo, I was very impressed, I
think it was the first tux I had ever seen—said, 'Do you want to sit in
the president's chair?'" said Allen. "And my brother was allowed to sit
in the president's chair, twirl it around, open the desk drawer and
take out a pencil. And so was I. I was a Roosevelt fan for the rest of
my life. Six days later, he died."

After that experience, Allen
became "something of a junkie on public policy." He said he is often
asked today how he got into politics.

"My first response to the
question is: I never got into politics, I despise politics," he said.
But he explained that in order to enter public policy, you must be
willing to get involved with politics, too.

"I became more and
more interested in shaping policy, but you had to go through this nasty
political process," said Allen. "Once you make the fateful decision that
you want to determine policy, make a contribution to your country, to
your community, you know that you're going to be put through the
wringer."

Allen drew wisdom from the many presidents for whom he
had worked throughout his career. Appointed National Security Advisor by
President-elect Ronald Reagan, he was also appointed senior policy
advisor for the election campaigns of George Herbert Walker Bush, George
W. Bush, and John McCain.

"Do what is right," said Allen,
explaining that this lesson came home to him when President Reagan first
entered the White House. "President Reagan said, 'I know that I am
called president, and they've called me Mr. President now since noon,
but I want you people to understand that we are here for precisely four
years. I want every decision made here to be for the good of the
American people.'"

Allen also touched on the title of his talk,
asking, "The Cold War: when did it begin, when did it end, or, as I put
it, has it in fact ended?"

He explained that he believes it continues today in another form.

"What
motivated the East were ideological considerations," said Allen. "When
you speak of the word ideology you don't mean just a theory—it's not a
way of life or a way of looking at the world. It represents a system of
thought which professes to own the truth."

Allen said an
"ideologue" is someone who won't allow you to ask certain questions of
his closed theory of thought. Illustrating the crucial need for strong
security against such ideologist situations, he used the example of the
Transportation Security Administration's rigorous use of scanners before
passengers board an airplane.

He said, "Imagine the screener who
doesn't find something. They can't afford to miss anything. So it is
when you analyze intelligence. How do you make a decision under these
circumstances? That's what policy-makers confront."

Allen
emphasized the problem of partisanship in today's world, calling it an
"ongoing crisis," comparing it to the nation's view of President
Franklin D. Roosevelt in the 1930's.

"There was a feeling of
hostility," he said. "Then, during the war we came together, and in the
post-war period it was amazing what was done by Republican presidents
with Democratic legislatures and vice versa."

Full audio and video of Allen's talk can be found at www.franciscan.edu/DistinguishedSpeakersSeries.

Allen's presentation was sponsored by Franciscan University's
Distinguished Speakers Series, which hosts leaders who integrate their
faith and public life, and inspire the next generation to be a
transforming presence in the Church and society. The series is sponsored
by the Offices of Academic Affairs, Student Life, and Advancement.

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